‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy continues at DCA

The Movies at the Door series of free screenings at Door Community Auditorium continues with the second and third parts of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy over the next two Fridays.

The run of director Peter Jackson’s adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic sci-fantasy books began last Friday with “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” It resumes March 4 with “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” followed by “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” on March 11.

“The Two Towers” follows the long journey of hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) as they seek to destroy a dangerously powerful ring. Along the way, Sam and Frodo encounter Gollum (Andy Serkis), a strange creature who once carried the ring and was twisted by its power.

This second part of the trilogy, released in 2002, was the biggest box-office movie of the year, grossing more than $926 million worldwide. It earned siix Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, and won Oscars for Visual Effects and Sound Editing.

“The Return of the King” concludes the trilogy, following Frodo, Sam, and Gollum as they journey ever closer to the foreboding land of Mordor, where the ring must be destroyed.

Released in 2003, “The Return of the King” topped even its massively successful predecessors at the box office, grossing almost $1.2 billion. Like its predecessors, it was a critical success as well, garnering 11 Academy Awards out of 11 nominations, tying the record for total Oscars held by “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic” and setting the record for the largest nomination sweep. The wins included Best Picture, Best Director for Jackson, and Best Original Song for “Into the West.”

Door Community Auditorium is at 3926 Wisconsin 42, Fish Creek. Admission is free to all Movies at the Door showings, although donations are accepted. For more information, visit the DCA box office, call 920-868-2728 or go to www.dcauditorium.org.